When I was 7

When I was 7

I used coloured rods for maths at school,

Loved the pink ones- think they were worth 2 or was it 5 ?

Mrs Larkins screamed all day,

Was a huge well- fed dragon,

Mouth red from blowing fire at us all day-

Often wondered if she had taken a student back to her cave to eat,

There always seemed to be someone missing.

Played cubbies in the cypress pines-

Drank warm milk delivered to school.

Our brown Austin Tasman always broke down on the way to school,

Often late toclass.

Played “lost in space” in the school yard.

I was regretfully always Penny but wanted to be Judy.

When I was 7 it was 1975-

We had terry towelling car seat covers, shorts and chenille bed spreads.

We never wore seat bealts-

Played at Kelly and Kirk’s after school-

They had a modern 70s house overlooking the river.

Kelly was killed in a car accident at 21- her and five friends killed instantly-

She was a backseat passenger.

Kelly’s smile was the sun.

Kirk’s death notice was Billy Joel’s “Only the good die young”

Kirk was killed in a superbike accident at 35-

He was a famous rider.

Kelly and Kirk’s parents lost their smiles forever.

In 1975- Kirk loved Evel Knivel.

When I was 7 my brother David and I would walk to the milk bar for mixed lollies,

50 lollies for 20cents,

We played up at Shaw’s dairy farm in amongst the boxthorns

We never got home till sunset

When I was 7.

What was your life like at 7 ????

Robbie

Barry

Ode to Barry

Barry is our neighbor,
Seventy something,
Stunning voice Sunday night backyard and a beer,
Belts out Elvis,
We love hearing him sing.
Barry is a gardener,
Shares his vegies,
Pumpkin on the doorstop Sunday morning,
Barry mows the elderly neighbor's grass,
He brings their bins in,
His garden is awash with shining baubles- Xmas,
Barry one of the kindess human beings I've met.
One night Barry was bashed in his front porch by a "supposed" friend.
I took him down the station to sort it out,
Society can be cruel.
Barry is an animal lover - feeds the magpies and the strays,
He's a beautiful cook and an artist,
Barry's shifting house,
When he told me my heart secretly broke,
Will miss him like you wont believe,
Barry's a story- teller,
A gem in our industrial suburb,
A connector a communicator a carer,
No digital space in Barry's world,
Just an oasis of kindness for others,
And a beautiful singing voice we will miss forever.

Do you know your neighbors well ? We have some treasures- characters and real caring people- Sometimes in this busy world we forget to check in on our neighbors- maybe the isloated new mums, or families living far away from home or our elderly friends. Just dropping in for a cuppa like the "old" days - makes a world of difference to their day.

Rob